Musings: Separating Wheat from The Chaff of Unconventionals

Increasingly, petroleum industry executives are speaking out about the significance of the unconventional hydrocarbon resources in this country, although they do not always agree about the longer term outlook for the resources. In some cases we question the extrapolations speakers are making about the importance of unconventional resources in the nation’s long range energy mix and, for that matter, the world’s mix.

Recently, several senior energy executives spoke at industry meetings about their views of these trends. One presentation that received media attention was by Mark Papa, CEO of EOG Resources, Inc. (EOG). His presentation was to a joint meeting of the Houston chapters of the IPAA and TIPRO. With respect to the success of unconventional drilling and production, Mr. Papa called it a “game changer” for the industry, something about which most industry participants would readily agree.

Horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing technologies have dramatically altered the near term supply picture and have forced energy prognosticators to recast their forecasting models. Most of them now are calling into question the need for the U.S. to import as many hydrocarbons as previously thought. Optimism is fine, but euphoria can be dangerous as it tends to create blind spots that become our downfall.

According to Mr. Papa, “There is clearly sufficient North American gas supply to last for a bunch of years; 50 years at least. And there is clearly no need for us to import LNG (liquefied natural gas) for multiple years to come.” At the present time, natural gas supplies are swamping the market due to the drop in demand associated with an overall decline in energy consumption due to the lasting effects of the recession and the surge in unconventional supply due to accelerated drilling dictated by the need for producers to hold leased acreage for which they have offered huge bonuses.......Read the entire article.


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ONG Focus: Crude Oil and Gold Daily Technical Outlook For Friday Nov. 26th

Crude Oil Daily Technical Outlook

Crude oil jumped to as high as 84.53 but was limited by mentioned 85.42 resistance and weakens again. With 4 hours MACD crossed below signal line, intraday bias is turned neutral. As noted before, decline from 88.63 is still in favor to continue with 84.52 resistance intact. Break of 80.06 will target 61.8% retracement of 70.76 to 88.63 at 77.59 and below. Though, above 84.53 will now flip intraday bias back to the upside for retesting 88.63 high.

In the bigger picture, the steeper than expected fall from 88.63 is mixing up the outlook and argue that rise from 64.23 is possibly finished with three waves up to 88.63. In other words, it could be the second wave of consolidation from 87.17 and the third wave might have just started. We'll now slightly favor more decline as long as 88.63 resistance holds. Nevertheless, medium term rise from 33.2 is treated as the second wave of the consolidation pattern that started at 147.27. As long as 64.23 support holds, medium term rise from 33.2 is still in favor to extend to 50% retracement of 147.27 to 33.2 at 90.24 and possibly higher before completion.

Nymex Crude Oil Continuous Contract 4 Hour and Daily Charts

Gold Daily Technical Outlook

With 4 hours MACD crossed below signal line, Gold's recovery from 1329 should have completed at 1382.9 already. Intraday bias is now cautiously on the downside for 1315.8/1329 support zone. Decisive break there will complete a head and shoulder top reversal pattern and should turn outlook bearish for deeper fall. On the other hand, strong rebound from 1315.8/1329 will indicate that gold is merely in sideway consolidation and another would still be seen before topping.

In the bigger picture, rise from 1155.6 is treated as the fifth wave of the five wave sequence from 1044.5, which should also be fifth wave of the rally from 681 (2008 low). Such rally might still continue towards 161.8% projection of 931.3 to 1227.5 from 1044.5 at 1449.6 before completion. Though, we're aware of long term projection target of 100% projection of 253 to 1033.9 from 681 at 1462 and we'd anticipate strong resistance from there to bring medium term correction finally. On the downside, however, break of 1315.8 support will be an early alert of medium term reversal and will turn focus back to 1155.6 support for confirmation.

Comex Gold Continuous Contract 4 Hour and Daily Charts


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Flurry of Rig Orders Marks End of Two Year Drought

Since the start of October, drilling companies have ordered at least 17 new rigs, a wave of spending that signals optimism that oil prices will remain high and that producers will continue to demand the latest advances in equipment as they tap increasingly hard to reach offshore reservoirs. Largely built "on spec", that is, without an existing contract from an oil and gas explorer,those orders mark a clear ending to a two year drought in rig purchases as drillers like Transocean, SeaDrill and Atwood Oceanics look to update and bolster their fleets.

The move also indicates how the global enthusiasm for exploiting offshore oil and gas continues, despite the slowdown in U.S. drilling that came as a result of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.
Of the 17 orders so far this quarter, 13 are for jackup rigs, which stand on legs and typically operate in water depths up to 400 feet. By comparison, only eight jackups were ordered in the two years that ended Sept. 30, according to Tom Curran, senior analyst with Wells Fargo Securities' Oilfield Services & Drilling team.

The quarter's four orders for floating deep-water rigs, which can take three years or more to construct, are the first shipyards have seen since 2008, Curran said. The orders primarily have gone to yards in Southeast Asia......Read the entire article.



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Bloomberg: Crude Oil Declines Because of Concern Ireland Debt Crisis May Spread to Spain

Crude oil declined in New York amid concern Ireland’s debt crisis will spread to Portugal and Spain, diminishing the appeal of the region’s assets. Futures slipped as the euro dropped against the dollar, curbing investor demand for raw materials. Floor trading was closed yesterday for Thanksgiving in the U.S. and electronic trades will be booked with today’s for settlement purposes.

With the U.S. markets closed “attention was instead focused on Europe and Ireland bailout talks, with sovereign debt concerns weighing on oil prices,” Mark Pervan, head of commodity research at Australia & New Zealand Banking Group Ltd. in Melbourne, said in a note today. The January contract fell 32 cents, or 0.4 percent, to $83.86 a barrel, in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange at 11:58 a.m. Sydney time. Futures are 2.9 percent higher this week, heading for the first weekly gain in three weeks. Prices are up 5.6 percent this year.

Oil rose the most in four months on Nov. 24 after U.S. jobless claims fell to the lowest level since 2008, bolstering optimism economic growth will accelerate in the biggest crude consuming nation. The Labor Department said applications for unemployment benefits declined by 34,000 to 407,000. Brent crude for January settlement gained 26 cents, or 0.3 percent, to settle at $86.10 a barrel on the London based ICE Futures Europe exchange yesterday.

Posted courtesy of Bloomberg News

Bloomberg reporter Ben Sharples can be contacted at bsharples@bloomberg.net


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The S&P 500, Gold, Crude Oil, and the Banks

As you probably already know option trading has become a growing branch of the trading world. The reasons for this rapid growth are numerous but include the ability to control risk, take advantage of the inevitable decay of the time premium portion of an option’s price, and to exploit the predictable and stereotypic changes in the factors controlling option pricing that occur on a regular basis. Nobody knows the in's and out's of options trading better the J.W. Jones. Here is his latest article that will get you ready for Monday's trading session......

Stocks were back on sale Tuesday when the S&P 500 suffered more than a 1.40% decline by the closing bell. Some market prognosticators pointed their fingers at the dollar, other pointed at the Korean situation, and still others had their eyes fixed on Ireland and the Eurozone as potential causes for the sharp selloff. The S&P 500 is currently oversold on the short term chart and either a bounce or period of consolidation is likely. At this point, chasing stocks in either direction will only satisfy the desires of the smart money, who will likely blow these anticipatory traders into trading fodder in coming weeks.

Right now, patience is a must. The day before Thanksgiving is synonymous for light volume as are most days preceding a holiday. Thanksgiving leads us into the holiday season which typically is characterized by low volume until after the New Year. As most traders know, when volume is light the market typically has a positive bias. I would not be shocked to see U.S. stocks trading higher Wednesday and/or Friday.

While the short term charts are oversold, the longer term charts continue to have a technical bias to the upside assuming the 50 period moving average does not get violated. Time will be the final arbiter as to whether this correction is relatively mild before stocks continue higher, or if this is the beginning of a larger correction.

Gold (GLD Daily)
At this point in time, gold is forming a possible head and shoulders pattern on the daily chart. While it is too early to determine if the pattern will play out, if the expected price action confirms the head and shoulders top then the measured move would indicate price levels around the GLD 120-122 area will likely be revisited. Currently gold and the GLD trading ETF are not offering a great risk/reward entry from a long or short perspective, and even if it were I would simply watch the action unfold until we get confirmation that the head and shoulders pattern is going to either be confirmed or fail. Caution is warranted and risk remains high.

Oil (USO Weekly)
USO has been in a consolidating pattern for well over a year and it continues to build this monster base between the 32 – 42 price levels. When this base is finally broken, a major move in oil will likely be underway. I am expecting that price will get close or test the bottom of the range for an outstanding low risk long entry using the bottom of the base as a backstop for risk definition. It is hard to say where price is heading in the short term, but from a fundamental perspective oil has some positive bias with increasing demand coming from emerging markets and a slowdown in future supply.

The Banks (XLF Daily)
Recently the XLF ETF (the financials) had a breakout of a long-term consolidation pattern which has failed. With that failure, the broader markets have sold off from recent highs. If the XLF and KRE continue to be under pressure, it is unlikely that the broader market as a whole will continue higher. It is critical for traders to follow the financial sector because the broad markets will go nowhere without their participation.

Like it or not, our financial complex has to be healthy in order for our economy to improve with any lasting effect. If banks are not lending, then it is safe to say the economy is not expanding at a fast pace. If the banks are not profitable or are not consistently growing their revenues, this would again be a negative indicator regarding economic growth.

There are a lot of analysts who are showing concerns over future profitability amid countless issues which include mortgage defaults, over exposure to commercial real estate and development loans, and potential prosecution in lieu of the way the large money-center banks handled foreclosures. Additionally, companies like PIMCO and other investment firms are attempting to return the mortgages they bought back to the banks through legal action which could lead to further losses. While the outlook is certainly not great, I would not expect any powerful rallies if financials are not following along.

Conclusion
With the shortened holiday week, I will not be offering an option trading setup. I am simply watching the price action and sitting in cash. When volume is this light, the markets generally have an upward bias and with the large selling volume we witnessed on Tuesday, a bounce is likely overdue. Until the S&P 500 gives up the 50 period moving average, we remain in a technically constructive pullback which could potentially lead to higher prices. If we get a daily close on the S&P below the 50 period moving average, all bets are off.

In closing, I hope this find you well and I wish all of you and your families a safe and Happy Thanksgiving!

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Holiday Squeeze on the Dollar, Gold & Stocks

The past week and a half has been as choppy as it gets for the stocks market. Thankfully the herd mentality (fear & greed) stays the same. Understanding what others think and feel when involved in the market is one of the keys to making money consistently from the market. The crazy looking chart below I will admit is a little tough on the eyes, and I should have used red and green for holiday colors but green just was not going to work today so bear with me.

Market Internal Indicators – 10 minute, 7 day chart
This is a simple chart to read if you understand how to trade these market internal indicators (NYSE volume ratio, NYSE Advance/Decline line, and Total Put/Call ratio).

It shows and explains how I get a read on the overbought/sold conditions in the market. There are several other criteria needed to pull this trade off but it is these charts which tell me to start getting ready to take partial profits, buy or take short positions.

The top section shows the NYSE volume ratio line. When the green line spikes is means there are more sellers than buyers by a large amount and I call this fear. On the other hand when he red line spikes it shows everyone is chasing the price higher because they can’t stand the thought of missing another rally. I call this greed or panic buying. You buy into fear, sell/short into greed.

Important point to note though… We are getting another sell/short signal here (Wednesday) but knowing Friday will be light volume and knowing that light volume means higher prices, I think we should get a better opportunity to short this new down trend next week at possibly a higher level. The market may have a short squeeze in the next 2-3 days. Just so you know, a short squeeze is when the market breaks to the upside on light volume forcing the short positions to cover. This creates a pop in price, only for it to drop quickly after. But, if we get a pop with solid volume behind it, then we could just see the up trend start again and we would then look to play the long side. Only time will tell…

Rising Dollar & Gold – I Don’t Get It?
That is the question everyone seems to be asking this week. I think what we are seeing is straight forward. Traders/investors are selling Euros because of the issues overseas and are buying the dollar along with gold and silver.

Generally when the dollar raises gold drops, but they are both moving up in sync, and really I don’t see the problem with this as it has happened many times in the past. Currently I am neutral on gold and silver because of this situation though. I feel something is about to happen in a week or so that will change things in a big way.

Mid-Week Gold, Dollar & Stock Trading Conclusion:
In short, the equities market is now in a down trend and overbought here. It’s prime for a short position but with the holiday, light volume Friday, and most likely a follow through buying session on Monday I think its best to sit in cash without the stress of wondering what will happen on Monday. Just enjoy the holiday.

Recently members had a great short play locking in 2.2% gain on one of our positions this week as we shorted the market using the SDS inverse SP500 ETF. We also continue to hold two other positions with a 22 and 24% gain thus far and I think going into year end things are really going to heat up.

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Commodity Corner: Crude Oil Up 3.2%

Positive economic data and a lower than expected build in U.S. crude oil inventories resulted in a pre holiday boost for January oil futures.

The front month futures price settled at $83.86 a barrel Wednesday, a $2.61 gain from the previous day, after trading within a range from $80.97 to $83.75. Supporting oil were statistics released Wednesday indicating some glimmers of hope for the U.S. economy. According to the U.S. Department of Commerce, personal income increased 0.5 percent in October above private sector expectations. In addition, the agency stated that real consumer spending rose by 0.3 percent during the same period.

Also benefiting oil was an economic indicator in the Thomson Reuters/University of Michigan Surveys of Consumers, a monthly publication that was released Wednesday. The latest findings observe a 5.8% increase in consumer sentiment, from 67.7 in October to 71.6 in November. Nevertheless, the survey's authors caution that the significant increase does not necessarily mark a "turning point" in consumers' personal financial prospects. Indeed, they note that many consumers continue to report worsening personal finances.

"While consumers clearly believe that the recovery has gained some traction, most still think that the economic gains will be too small to improve their own job and income position anytime soon," stated Richard Curtin, Surveys of Consumers Chief Economist.

In its weekly report on the country's crude oil stocks, the U.S. Department of Energy's Energy Information Administration (EIA) reported that inventories rose to 358.6 million barrels as of November 19, 2010. Last week's 1 million barrel gain reverses a sharp decline reported for the week of November 12, but the gain was lower than analysts had anticipated.

Natural gas for December delivery showed very little movement Wednesday, ending the day a penny higher at $4.27 per thousand cubic feet. Expectations of milder weather in the Northeast, along with very high storage volumes, prevented gas from increasing further. Front month natural gas peaked at $4.38 and bottomed out at $4.18.

December gasoline settled at $2.21 a gallon Wednesday, representing an eight cent gain from the previous session. Gasoline traded from $2.13 to $2.21.

Posted courtesy of Rigzone.Com


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SP 500, Crude Oil, Natural Gas, Gold and U.S. Dollar Commentary For Wednesday Evening Nov. 24th

The S&P 500 index closed higher due to short covering on Wednesday as it consolidated some of Tuesday's decline. The high range close sets the stage for a steady to higher opening on Friday. Stochastics and the RSI are neutral to bullish signaling that a short term low might be in or is near. Closes above Monday's high crossing at 1206.00 would temper the near term bearish outlook. If December renews the decline off this month's high, the 25% retracement level of the July-November rally crossing at 1169.37 is the next downside target. First resistance is Monday's high crossing at 1206.00. Second resistance is this month's high crossing at 1224.50. First support is last Tuesday's low crossing at 1175.20. Second support is the 25% retracement level of the July-November rally crossing at 1169.37.

Crude oil closed sharply higher on Wednesday as it rebounds off the 50% retracement level of the August-November rally crossing at 81.14. The high range close sets the stage for a steady to higher opening on Friday. Stochastics and the RSI are oversold and turning neutral to bullish signaling that sideways to higher prices are possible near term. Closes above the 20 day moving average crossing at 84.53 are needed to confirm that a short term low has been posted. If January extends this month's decline, the 62% retracement level of the August-November rally crossing at 79.24 is the next downside target. First resistance is today's high crossing at 83.95 Second resistance is the 20 day moving average crossing at 84.53. First support is Tuesday's low crossing at 80.28. Second support is the 62% retracement level of the August-November rally crossing at 79.24.

Natural gas closed lower due to profit taking on Wednesday as it consolidates some of the rally off last week's low. Stochastics and the RSI remain bullish signaling that sideways to higher prices are possible near term. If January extends the rally off October's low, the 38% retracement level of the June-October decline crossing at 4.654 is the next upside target. Closes below the 20 day moving average crossing at 4.196 are needed to confirm that a short term top has been posted. First resistance is today's high crossing at 4.515. Second resistance is the 38% retracement level of the June-October decline crossing at 4.654. First support is the 20 day moving average crossing at 4.196. Second support is this month's low crossing at 3.853.

Gold closed lower due to profit taking on Wednesday as it consolidates some of the rally off last week's low. The mid range close sets the stage for a steady opening on Friday. Stochastics and the RSI are bullish signaling that sideways to higher prices are possible near term. If December extends the rally off last week's low, the reaction high crossing at 1388.10 is the next upside target. If December renews this month's decline, the reaction low crossing at 1315.60 is the next downside target. First resistance is Tuesday's high crossing at 1382.90. Second resistance is the reaction high crossing at 1388.10. First support is last Tuesday's low crossing at 1329.00. Second support is the reaction low crossing at 1315.60.

The U.S. Dollar closed higher on Wednesday as it extends this month's rally. The high range close sets the stage for a steady to higher opening on Friday. Stochastics and the RSI are overbought, diverging but are bullish again signaling that sideways to higher prices are possible near term. If December extends this month's rally, the 38% retracement level of this year's decline crossing at 80.54 is the next upside target. Closes below the 20 day moving average crossing at 78.03 would confirm that a short term top has been posted. First resistance is today's high crossing at 80.09. Second resistance is the 38% retracement level of this year's decline crossing at 80.54. First support is the 20 day moving average crossing at 78.03. Second support is this month's low crossing at 75.24.


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Crude Oil Rallies Above 83 Despite Inventory Gains

Total crude oil and petroleum products stocks declined for the 4th week, by -0.26 mmb to 1106.15 mmb in the week ended November 19. Crude oil inventory unexpectedly gained +1.03 mmb, compared with consensus of a -1.03 mmb drop, to 358.63 mmb with stock rising in 3 out 5 PADDs. Cushing stock also rose +0.56 mmb to 33.63 mmb. Utilization rate climbed +1.5% to 85.5%.

Gasoline inventory increased +1.91 mmb to 209.59 mmb while that for distillate dipped -0.54 mmb to 158.25 mmb. Gasoline demand slipped -1.37% to 8.83M bpd. Imports and production rose +39.50% and +0.12% respectively. Distillate demand claimed +0.63% to 3.80M bpd. Both imports and production soared, by 49.43% and +1.46% respectively.

WTI crude oil jumped to as high as 83.05 after the report, despite stock builds in crude oil and gasoline. A Strong rebound in the stock markets was probably the main reason driving oil prices higher.

Here is a Comparison Between API and EIA Reports


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What's Surprising Me Most about Canadian Natural Gas

From guest analyst Keith Schaefer......

Western Canadian gas exports to the United States could be completely displaced into Northern California by....

1. Abundant, low cost US natural gas production,
2. And by several new gas pipelines in the US,

Says a new market study by Bentek, a US energy analysis company. Overall, Canadian gas exports to the US will drop 2 bcf/d over the next few years, almost 30%, and this impending loss of the northern California market builds upon the loss that western Canadian gas has in lower exports to the US northeast. Increased Canadian demand and declining Canadian supply will pick up some of the slack, but it won’t be enough to offset a significant loss of exports to the US market in the near term, they add.

Bentek’s report, titled “The Big Squeeze”, is a report that also outlines how fast growing production from the Marcellus shale in Pennsylvania is displacing Canadian gas to the lucrative Northeast US market, and how new pipeline capacity carrying low cost gas out of the Rocky Mountains is now set to displace much of Canadian gas to the US Midwest and lucrative California markets.

“What we outlined in our study was complete displacement of Canadian gas into Northern California by the summer of 2014,” says Jack Weixel, Director of Energy Analysis for Bentek.
Last summer I wrote about how the new $6 billion Rockies Express pipeline, or REX, going from Colorado to Ohio, was displacing western Canadian gas production by almost 10%. Lately, US natural gas production from the Marcellus shale has also been displacing Canadian gas to the US Northeast. Canadian suppliers have been able to send more natural gas into the Midwest and Western US to help make up for that drop.

But Bentek says even that market is at risk, and Canadians could see this market get curtailed within the next two weeks, in early December 2010. That’s when low cost Rockies gas supply will start flowing east on the newly installedBison Pipeline. This will give Rockies producers an additional 0.5 Bcf/d (billion cubic feet per day) of capacity out of the Powder River basin in Wyoming. The Bison connects into the Northern Border Pipeline, which moves mostly western Canadian supply.

Weixel expects the Bison Pipeline to create stiff competition for Canadian gas. He says Canadian gas has to get cheaper to stay competitive. “They (Canadian gas producers) need to drop 14 cents (an mcf). Let’s say Rockies gas is $3.50/mcf - that means that AECO (the Canadian natural gas benchmark price out of Edmonton) needs to be priced $3.36 to be competitive in northern California,” says Weixel, adding that the breakeven price for certain Rockies gas producers in the Pinedale and Jonah tight sands plays is “well below $3 per mcf.”

Weixel expects net Canadian exports to drop 2 bcf/d through 2015, out of a total of 6.9 bcf/d now. But it’s not all gloomy for producers – and their shareholde“At the same time exports are declining, you’ve got Canadian demand growing, primarily from oilsands in the west and coal retirements in the east,” he says. “You’ve also got production slipping from conventional gas plays in Alberta. So there is a tightening supply demand balance.

“Traditionally that would lend itself to gas prices getting stronger. But we believe that due to the drop in exports, that there will be just as much gas on hand in Canada as there is now. So if production drops 1.5 bcf/d but exports drop 2 bcf/d, they’re up half a “b” a day.
Canadian gas production is actually going up because of the unconventional plays in BC (read: MONTNEY), but Weixel says the gas rig count in Alberta dropped off a cliff this September, and is about half the number it was last year and about one quarter what it was in 2008.

What’s surprising to me is how little both the industry and investors appear to be concerned about this issue. The Calgary Herald ran a small story on this, and The Daily Oil Bulletin, which is ready by the industry only, ran a story (masthead, or lead story). There are thousands of high paying jobs at stake – mostly in Alberta but also in northern B.C.


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